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Bubo virginianus
Long about October each year, a mated pair of Great Horned Owls (whom I call "Mr. and Mrs. Hooters") come here to my little part of "the wild hinterlands" in the hills above the tiny, Northern California town of Cloverdale where they stay until about March or so. I do so love to hear them in the early evenings -- calling to each other from one tree to another... They make the winter easier for me to bear (and, oh, how I HATE winter! Brrrrr!) Many is the time I have stood outside and echoed their calls and many times, this seems to have made them curious as to just what creature it is that's doing that because on at least 3 different occasions, one or both of them have flown to a tree right in front of me and either simply observed me for a few minutes or, as in the video at the link provided, answered me back at close range! I took the above stills the same evening I shot the video.
Dry hills, oak woodlands.
What impresses me the most about the great-horned owls -- besides their unique and intriquing calls, that is -- are those awe-inspiring and terrifying talons... On the second photo, one talon is silouhetted against the twilight sky and it is simply HUGE. **shivering and glad that I'm not a mouse** lol!
Spotted on Jan 27, 2010
Submitted on Sep 17, 2011
9 Comments
LOL, Emma! I don't know... What WOULD they do with all the leftovers if they started preying on humans? They'd run out of ways to serve it. (Kinda like what happens with that 25 lb. turkey after Thanksgiving! LOL!)
great spotting and video!
@ Jean , i wonder if insects interact with us. People have crickets as pets,
i know from experience that Dragonflies are playful. i have often seen butterflies checking people out too.
The Praying Mantis that i photographed ,ambushed me. He was sitting near a bush in our front porch. i am sure he could see me going in and out.
i sat watching him for a long time .
Later on in the evening when i came home from the grocery store,he swiped and brushed past me. If they are known for eating their own mates ,why would they spare a human.
i am sure that if it came into frequent human contact ,it would develop a strategy to get a bite out of us. it has the intelligence!
Thank-you, Emma... This I learned from my mother whose mother was part Indian and knew many things about herb-crafting and nature. Speak softly in a praising manner: "What a beautiful little foxy you are! I think you're very, very pretty... I would never hurt you, little friend. What a sweet little foxy you are!", etc. This manner of speaking to the animals has made more than one of them stop in the middle of their hasty retreat and actually come BACK to investigate me further. My mother used to say: "They can't, of course, understand what you're saying to them but, they DO understand the tone and your intent."
@ Jean,you said a very important thing. I read that in an article too. I hope that the Project Noah users will make use of this tip. TALK TO THE WILD LIFE WHILE PHOTOGRAPHING THEM.
THNX for sharing this Jean!!
The first year we moved here, I "stalked" the wildlife to take photos and, without exception (okay... Maybe "Andy" the Anna's hummingbird was an exception -- Andy's afraid of NOTHING! lol! He's the bravest bird I know!) they ran or flew away when I'd approach... But, I didn't let that deter me! I kept speaking to them and calling out to them and watching them and letting them get used to seeing me around. By the second year we'd lived here, I had been able get reasonably close to the deer and, of course, Maury, Jr. (who was a baby at that time). By the THIRD year, the deer didn't even begin to run when they saw me, even the orioles were coming nearer on their visit to nest and Maury, Jr. the red-tail was actually calling out to me when he flew over and didn't see me outside. LAST year, the owls I'd been stalking for the 2 previous years and the foxes that I'd only HEARD about 'til then started coming closer. Like anybody, I think the wild animals just have to get used to you being around and not doing anything "scary" (sudden movements, loud noises, etc.) before they begin coming closer and accepting you in their environment. :o)
it truly is a special connection. I have been trying to spot them for a long time and I know how almost impossible it is!!
They are elusive for many want-to-be observers I think, Emma. They are silent in flight and their natural camouflage is really amazing as far as their abilities -- even though they're large birds -- to "hide in plain sight".
I truly think it's because I go up to the top of the hill above our house where there are no other houses or anyone around and call out to them, mimicking their calls, that curiosity gets the better of them and they come out of hiding and make themselves known.
Whenever any of the raptor birds seem interested enough about me to come around me and check me out, I can't even tell you how thrilled it makes me feel inside! I feel so privileged and special -- so blessed -- to think there was something about me (anything!) that they found intriguing enough to come closer to me because, for them, it's a risk -- a GIANT risk. I could be an irate chicken farmer, for all they know, with a loaded rifle who thinks they're responsible for decimating my flock (I'm sure that happens more than any of us would like to think)! They really have no way of knowing other than to rely upon their instincts to try and decipher my body-language, my tone, my movements...THEY are the ones taking the risk by coming within range of me and, yet, for some unfathomable reason, they TRUST ME. The contemplation of that fact, more than just about anything else in my life right now, gives me such happiness and contentment, I can't even begin to express it... :o)
Thanks for sharing this experience with us! Owls are very difficult to spot in my area. I hear them all the time. This truly is very deliteful!